Harold K. Forsen was born in St. Joseph. ( September 19, 1932- March 7, 2012 ) Forsen was an early leader in the international fusion community who later served as an educator, industrial executive, and government advisor.
In 1952 he married his high school sweetheart while he served in the Air Force. (1951-1955 ) After his tour of duty was finished, he enrolled in the California Institute of Technology and earned his BS and MS in Electrical Engineering in 1959. After graduation he worked at the General Atomics Company in San Diego on various energy issues including nuclear fusion, which later became an integral part of his career. He realized that a Ph.D. was required to make a significant contribution in the plasma physics field. He obtained his Ph.D. in 1965.
His career turned to academia and in 1965 he was hired into the Nuclear Engineering Program Department at the University of Wisconsin – Madison. It was there he became internationally known for his work in the field of plasma physics.
The next chapter of his life was in the area of nuclear fusion. He lead a mostly classified program in the use of lasers to separate uranium-235 from uranium-238 at the Exxon Nuclear Company in Bellevue, Washington. He eventually became an Executive Vice President in the company. At Exxon he created many patents utilizing laser isotope separation. While at Exxon he continued his “academic” role, serving as President and later Chairman of the Board of the Pacific Center in Seattle, Washington for six years. In 1981 he became the Vice President of the Bechtel Company in San Francisco and manager of the Technology Group. After serving in that capacity for 14 years he retired in 1995.
Dr. Forsen received many professional society and national awards, and honors including the Arthur Holly Compton Award of the American Nuclear Societies. He was a member of several Science, Nuclear and Engineering Society’s. He was very active in the governance of the NEA and after retirement served as the foreign Secretary for 8 years. (1995-2003) He was also elected as a foreign associate to the Japanese Engineering Academy.
